Welcome blogees. Aimee let me get on just to let you know about the most incredible weekend we just had. We went to visit expecting to see Aimee and Kevin's sweet little alien and instead found this adorable baby. Brenna has really blossomed. Instead of just seeing tubes, we could see her face and all her expressions. She is amazing. You can sit and watch her forever. She has learned about 2,000 different expressions and uses them all. We just needed some popcorn and drink to make it complete - we could have sat and watched the exciting drama that goes across her face for hours.
The highlight of the weekend was getting to kangaroo care with Brenna. When Aimee put her up against me, her heartbeat just echoed through my body. Hers was going a lot faster than mine and I was working to get us both in rhythm. Then she put her tiny little hands against me and it was all peace. If you ever wondered what heaven was like, I can now tell you. Talk about a calming sensation - better than any meditation or glass of wine! It stayed wonderful and then, oh my gosh - Brenna stopped breathing! I went into a panic and turned to Aimee and excitedly told her to call the nurse. Don't stop with the nurse, have the hospital call a code! Aimee just leaned over and calmly rubbed Brenna's back and she started to breath again. I don't know if I was more amazed by how it was handled so easily or by watching my daughter take such a command of the situation. I learned to look at both her and Kevin through different eyes. They may have always been mature adults and I just didn't notice, but I sure got a glimpse of it this weekend. Anyway, Brenna did just fine. The first time I saw her she held my little finger and I didn't want to wash my finger. Now after the kangaroo care I don't want to wash my whole chest!
We then went to a shower given by the Firefighters. It was wonderful and we got to meet many of the people Kevin works with and their wives. It was inspirational to us to see so many admirable people in one place and they way they care for Aimee and Kevin. Austin's population is definitely growing by the number of babies, toddlers, and pregnant women present! One of the women who was at the hospital with Aimee, brought her ex-preemie, now totally big healthy baby with her and it was so encouraging to know that would be Brenna in a month. Aimee will have lots of people to turn to for advice. Good thing as every time Aimee asked me a question, I didn't have a clue what she was talking about.
Saturday night was Ron's turn and he got to feed Brenna. Whoa - he was pretty excited, but I don't think he understood what he was in for. Brenna needs to take a whole bottle, but she tends to want to fall asleep about half way through it. Ron found that tickling her foot seemed to work. She would open her mouth in what looked like a smile and in would go the nibble. She does have a mind of her own and when she decides to clam shut her mouth, she means business. It was definitely a nice, slow leisurely meal with little naps in-between courses. It worked as when we went in Sunday morning, Brenna had moved houses! She is no longer in the isolet, but moved to a regular preemie baby bed right out there in the open air. That was all due to the fact that she had gained enough weight. Of course, Aimee had to quickly remake the bed so her sheet and blanket matched her outfit. She looked adorable. It was hard not to keep bothering her and let her sleep.
We left Kevin and Aimee deep in conversation about making the final adjustments for Brenna's homecoming. As I left, I glanced around at some of the other babies and realized just how far we had come. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Dorothy
No comments:
Post a Comment